


talking to your ghost

by VictoriaG16



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, M/M, Post-Star Trek: Into Darkness, Star Trek: Into Darkness Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-04
Packaged: 2017-12-25 06:54:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VictoriaG16/pseuds/VictoriaG16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say that people can hear you when you're in a coma.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Haha pain
> 
> Have fun

Spock sits Kirk's bedside for exactly two hours and forty-seven minutes each day. The medbay chairs are uncomfortable, but his stance was even more so, straight-backed and proper, hands folded in his lap. He keeps his eyes on his knees and doesn't dare to look at the lifeless form of James Tiberius Kirk. It would only serve to cause him unnessecary emotional stress -- something he could truly do without. Instead, he talked to him.

His talks about his day and the events.

_["The death toll was completed today. We lost one hundred twenty two crew members."]_

He talks about Nyota and how she enthralls him in her every motion.

_["I find myself depending on her more after your demise and comatose state. You'd say that is illogical. I find myself missing your formerly aggravating personality flaws. Death -- or near death -- is quite a peculiar thing."]_

He talks about how he visited his mother's grave one day.

_["There is no body. But my mother's family insisted that there be a headstone with her name, date of birth, and date of death. It does offer a bit of comfort to visit."]_

And sometimes, when he is tired and control was worn thin, he talks about his emotions.

_["I miss you."]_

* * *

Nyota joins him for the final forty-seven minutes of his visit, and then for forty-three of her own. She is stretched thin, working the communications between Earth, Starbase 1, and the Enterprise. Instead of the dead silence of space, she has friendly and familial messages, updates for the computer database, repair schedules, just to begin. By the end of the day, she is ready to sleep for ten hours though she barely gets five and not listen to anything until her double-shift began early the next morning. It was no wonder bags were forming underneath her eyes.

But she sits beside Spock in the stiff chairs, and her hands find his, their fingers rubbing against each other in a melancholy gesture of empathy.

She talks, too. But never would she use Standard -- she'd heard of people remembering things they'd heard while comatose, and she'd never risk him knowing what she said.

In Swahili, she tells him that he reminded her of a childhood friend.

_["His name was Kenneth. He always got into trouble and persuaded me to join in a few times."]_

In Orion, she tells him about how Gaila was so infatuated with him.

_["Normally, this would only serve to enlarge your overgrown ego, but Gaila used to love you. She loved you so much. And now she's gone and you might be soon."]_

In Latin, she tells him about the night they first met, if only to connect him to a past.

_["Remember, the bar in Iowa? I thought you were just some prick who liked to flirt with anything that moves -- and I wasn't exactly wrong. But you are more than that."]_

In High Romulan, she tells him that he is her friend.

 _["I don't know when you became my friend, but you are."]_  

* * *

Carol comes in after Nyota. They pass each other and give sympathic smiles and inquire after the other's health and wellness. Then, Nyota leaves for the First Officer's quarters -- nobody questions it, everbody needs comfort -- and Carol takes her place at the bedside. She feels a little bit out of place, since she barely knew him, but she would feel so wrong not coming here to see him.

At first, she only thanks him.

_["Captain...Jim, thank you. With all this shit with my father, you were very comforting. Thank you."]_

Then, she tells him about herself and her parents.

_["He was always so distant, being in space and all. I loved my mum, though. She raised me, you know. I always wanted to be just like her."]_

Next, she tells him about why she tricked him and that she's sorry.

_["I knew it was wrong, to lie and fake my records. I do actually have the degree and the credentials, just not the assignment. But my assisstence did prove to be valuable, did it not?"]_

Finally, she tells him how she feels.

 _["You're so admirable and noble. I wish I knew you more."]_  

* * *

 Scotty comes by every day, for five minutes each time. He can't handle more than that without blubbering like a baby. And he doesn't blubber like a baby. Other than the emotional issues he face by entering the medical room, he is also busier than ever with repairs and refits for the engines. He wants nothing more -- aside from Kirk to wake up -- than for the Enterprise to have another successful (or, as successful as the last one) journey through space.

He talks about the ship.

_["What a beauty she is, don' you think? I know you do, you an' me love her. She'll be waiting for you, all fixed up an' pretty."]_

He talks about the redundancy with Starfleet.

_["All the conduits are completely fine, I gave them the specs for our last check -- not three hours before -- and yet they have to do it themselves!"]_

He talks about the bootprints on the core and his voice trails off.

_["Took some cleaning to get off..."]_

He talks about he would have done it.

_["Why didn't you let me have a shot at it? You're more valuable."]_

* * *

 Sulu visits before his shift on the bridge. He's been taking over for Spock as acting captain, since Spock has science duties to attend to and Chekov has the navigation and tactical obligations. It's right after his morning fencing practice.

He talks about the drill.

_["I can't forget the look on your face when I told you, 'fencing'. That was priceless."]_

He talks about his plants and their medicinal purposes.

_["Doctor McCoy thinks it's bullshit, but one of my new plants has a regenerative compound that might be useful."]_

He talks about how tiring it must be to be a captain.

_["I'm only acting captain, and I already want to sleep all day."]_

He talks about his dreams of getting his own command.

_["You're everything I want to be in a captain."]_

* * *

Chekov normally accompanies Sulu, before both of their shifts. They sit in a similar position to Spock and Nyota, though their hand-holding doesn't count as kissing.

He talks about the science of the warp core.

_["And ze reaction creates ze power to make us go faster than light!"]_

He talks about how being cheif engineer was certainly interesting.

_["Eet's a wery interesting part of ze ship, but ze bridge is better."]_

He talks about how he should have seen the problem earlier.

_["Maybe I shouldn't have been ze chief engineer."]_

He talks about how he is a failure.

_["I'm sorry I always fail. I missed the problem here. I lost Spock's mother. I am wery sorry."]_

* * *

Doctor McCoy didn't have regular visiting times for Jim Kirk. No, he was there through nearly the entire day. Maybe he escaped every once in a while, to his quarters or to torture himself by paying a visit to Jocelyn and Joanna. He is supposed to be taking care of other patients, but Jim takes precedence. There are other doctors on Starbase 1. He has to focus on Jim.

He talks about Joanna.

_["She's ten, and she wants to be a starship captain. I cried when I visited her today."]_

He talks about his father.

_["He died when I was just barely a doctor, and I could have saved him. Maybe I fucked up, I probably did."]_

He talks about Jocelyn.

_["When she told me she wanted a divorce, I thought I'd never love again. I was so wrong, Jim."]_

He talks about James T. Kirk.

_["You're my family now."]_


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not at all my best work but I just had to.

Spock and Nyota were having a hushed conversation in Vulcan when the usually monotonous monitors began to accelerate. Someone yelled for Doctor McCoy -- it was an odd moment when Carol had dragged him off to lunch, declaring that if he tried to resist, she would stun him. Despite the distance from the mess hall on Starbase 1 and the medbay, Bones threw open the door to the patient's room not five minutes later, and ran to the wall monitors. The screens displayed a myriad of images -- from a full-body scan, to heart-rate, brainwave activity, anything that could be used to determine Kirk's physical condition.

Jim Kirk fully regained consciousness eight minutes and twenty three seconds later, by Spock's count. He appeared dazed and weary, but his azure eyes lit up -- like a Christmas tree, Nyota would say -- at the sight of Spock, Nyota, Carol, and Dr. McCoy around his bedside. Carol had collapsed into a chair beside the bed, face split into a grin. Spock was standing in his usual posture, hands behind his back, with the exception of Nyota's arm laced through his. In his own stoic manner, he seemed very pleased.

"Jim. It is a relief to see you conscious."

"It's a relief to be conscious," was Kirk's half-hearted witty reply. He tried to push himself into a sitting position, but was held back by a strong (if legendary) hand.

"Not yet, Jim, I have to -- "

"Booooones."

Dr. McCoy rolled his eyes in a most unprofessional manner, but left the room, PADD in hand, smiling because Jim was alive.

That left Spock, Nyota, and Carol with Jim, and a lot to talk about.

"How long was I out?"

"Two weeks, one day, four hou -- "

"Close enough, Spock." Nyota smiled, like there was nothing she liked better than an overspecific companion.

"Do you remember anything?" Carol asked, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness.

"Yeah. Voices, mostly. But a few times there were colors. Nothing else, though." He gave a sad smile to the blonde woman seated beside his bed. "We'd love to have you on board, Dr. Marcus. I'm sure we could use a weapons specialist or something you're qualified for."

"It would be my honor." Suddenly, she seemed a lot more comfortable.

"Do you recall anything I said?" Nyota asked, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Not by meaning. You're an ass, by the way."

"Just precautionary," she countered.

"Ass," he argued. Then he turned to Spock, who looked -- if he dare say it -- uncomfortable at the prospect of Kirk discussing the things Spock had relayed. "I've never appreciated your memory as much as I do now, Spock."

"Thank you."

"How do you remember all that?"

"I do not know." The conversation dwindled on for several more minutes, before Scotty burst into the room, shouting with glee.

"Jim! You're awake!" Scotty had never looked happier at that single fact. "I din't know if -- " The sentence was cut off short, Scotty realizing that might be considered insensitive.

"It's okay. I did die."

"Tha's true," Scotty mumbled, his eyes glued to his shoes.

"So, how are the engines? Can we get up and running soon?"

Scotty looked up, and his entire composure was filled with ecstasy at the thought of the hot, dimly lit engine room. "Aye! These Starbase 1 folk, though, they're ridiculous! Chekin' over stuff tha's already been checked!" His babble continued for several more minutes, and Jim gained much more knowledge of the redundancy of Starfleet than he had before. He had never been happier to hear Scotty's lilt than ever before.

Being Chief Engineer, Scotty of course had things to do, other than visit a newly-awoken friend.

The stillness of the medbay was soon disturbed by Sulu and Chekov's arrival, Chekov a few steps ahead of Sulu.

"Keptin!"

"Captain!"

In a mixture of Russian and Standard (though, not out of the ordinary with Chekov), the pair chatted, half amongst themselves and half with Kirk. But Jim was just pleased with listening to them -- Chekov's high-pitched voice and Sulu's slow, steady one. They certainly made an interesting couple.

"So, you want to become a captain?" Jim asked, as if it was expected he would know that.

"Uh, yeah, er -- I didn't think you'd hear or remember or -- "

"It's quite all right, Mr. Sulu. In fact, I'm honored. If you ever need advice on how to be a dashing Starfleet captain, who else would you ask?"

Sulu almost responded with a joking reply of "Pike," but then thought better of it.

Somewhere around that time, Dr. McCoy returned with even more test results, and began to shoo Chekov and Sulu out of the room.

"Wait -- Chekov, can you come here for a second?"

Chekov returned to the bedside, nodding at Sulu to wait for him.

"I just want you to know that nobody blames you, Chekov. You've done better than any of us could have ever done. You're not a failure."

"Dank you, Keptin," Chekov whispered in reply. He left quietly, turning very red at the compliment.

That left two in the medbay, rather alone: Jim and his Bones. Dr. McCoy, trying to keep his composure, was busily scanning Jim for any minor anomaly in his bio-readings. Jim gently wrapped his hand around Bones's wrist, pushing the medscanner out of the way. "Bones."

"I'm -- "

"I know. You're being a doctor."

"Yeah, and?"

"Be a friend right now. Not a doctor."

"I can be both."

"Bones."

"Fine." The medical scanner reluctantly returned to the wall panel where it fit in. Jim patted the edge of the bed, where Bones somewhat awkwardly sit.

"You consider me family?"

"I, er, well, yeah."

"Good. Because you're not getting rid of me." With that, Jim leaned over and pressed his lips to his friend's.


End file.
